Some authors seem to go on for ages and they don't appear on boards like this because they often stay out of the public eye. Many people simply assume they're dead. However the following are unlikely to be setting sprint world records or clocking up high sales figures for pin up calenders these days.

J.D 'Catcher in the Rye' Salinger, 1919 -

Harper 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Lee, 1926 -

Robert M 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainence' Pirsig, 1928 -

Maryport is a disappointment for which there is no cure, but the annual Deathrace thread hereabouts provides welcome distraction.

I've just been reading about JD Salinger at www.morrill.org/books/salbio.shtml.

He sounds a bit of an odd cove. One of those authors who's only known for one book (which I haven't read). He's now married to a nurse, 30 years his junior - not hard to see what he gets out of that relationship - but previosly had a seven year relationship with the 1980s actress Catherine Oxenburg. Lucky sod!

'Normal' was never on the job spec where being an author is concerned. But - like people who write hymns - the other odd uniting characteristic is their ability to survive into old age. Then again, as the Grim Reaper might say. 'You can run but you can't hide.'

Maryport is a disappointment for which there is no cure, but the annual Deathrace thread hereabouts provides welcome distraction.

E.C. Tubb, I was sure the laddo were dead, obviously wrong. B 1919 and on the evidence linked above still gannin strong. I had a mate at Uni who loved Tubb's Dumarest Saga, a lengthy series of books about a guy who believed - much to everyone else's amusement - that he was born on a fabled planet called Earth and might one day return there. Rumour was Tubb had the last book written and it would be published when the great man died. I guess my old mate is still waiting to read it.

Maryport is a disappointment for which there is no cure, but the annual Deathrace thread hereabouts provides welcome distraction.

I've just noticed the cunning moderation of my above signature. I'd like to thank the rogue moderator responsible and also add- prospective editors, please note that a B-Job would go down just as well as a proper one. Quite possibly even more so.

Edgar Allen Poe, s'cuse the post whoring since I've also added this to the 'dead' thread above. Brain tumour appears a very likely cause of a much speculated upon death of the great man. Though the article cooly observes that the ghoulish crowd who love to see conspiracies or the hand of something altogether darker are unlikely to be satisfied with this explanation.

Maryport is a disappointment for which there is no cure, but the annual Deathrace thread hereabouts provides welcome distraction.

You read that article BS? The point is that Poe's brain appeared to have survived decomposition to a spooky degree, not something they'd have expected in an alcholic brain. Much more likely if what the witnesses saw wasn't his brain but the calcified remains of his brain tumour.

Maryport is a disappointment for which there is no cure, but the annual Deathrace thread hereabouts provides welcome distraction.

You read that article BS? The point is that Poe's brain appeared to have survived decomposition to a spooky degree, not something they'd have expected in an alcholic brain. Much more likely if what the witnesses saw wasn't his brain but the calcified remains of his brain tumour.

From what I know EAP died at the early age of 39, just four days after being found 'in some other mans cloths'.

They say he screamed '"Reynolds?' Who is Reynolds? That very name might be one of the last immaculate clues left to solving all the unanswered questions.

I can tell you maryportfuncity that I think it's very possible EAP might have sustained a head injury, which that would explain his sudden death at such a young age. One of the greatest unknowns may be 'Mr.Reynolds' and the questions in my mind surrounding him which they are .. 'Mr.Reynolds who are you?' and of course ' Excuse me, Mr Reynolds but why were you naked with Poe in your cloths?'